Singing in The Rain
by The Winged Lady
Summary: Grimmjow is near death. Kyo is near the end. A cloaked man offers redemption. They take it, but what's in store? "Sometimes I really think I should've staid a Shinigami" "Don't say that Toshiro! Y'know you'd be sane without us!" "Youre not helping Grim."
1. It Started With Two

Grimmjow was not a fool.

He knew that there was no sun Hueco Muendo, he knew that Ichigo Kurosaki had two little sisters, he knew that there were things that even Aizen could not prodict, and he knew why Barrigan grew out his mustache.

And he knew he was dieing.

He was just... Sitting. Not how he'd always imagined his death.

After the orange haired Shinigami left him too die in peace, he'd dragged himself to the side of a building, and was now leaning up against it.

Yes. He was sitting patiantly, waiting for the world to go black.

"It's not you're time."

And now he was halucinating.

"_Sigh_, I am not a mirrage, Jeagerjaques."

Grimmjow, putting all his streangth into his neck, looked up.

Standing above him was a person, clad in a black hooded robe, and a... Sickle (?) strapped to his back.

Grimmjow grinned.

"Heh, funny. I always thaught Death would be taller."

"I am not death, I am redemption. And I came here with a purpose, Jeagerjaques, and that is too give you a choice."

"Let me guess, you want me to work for you?" Grimmjow said.

"More as a partner. I am creating a group."

"Who are going too kill the Shinigami?" Grimmjow butted in, snorting.

"No, you bufoon." The person snapped, a tick mark appearing on his fourhead. Grimmjow rose his eyebrow in question, and the male seemed to know his question.

"The Shinigami don't matter. As far as I'm concerned, if they stay away from me, I'll stay away from them."

"That sounds resonable." Grimmjow said, in slight shock. He'd never heard some one say something like that befor. Everyone was always ether after Ichigo or some other Soul Reaper.

"Then what _is_ you're game?" He asked, looking the person up and down.

"I beleave in secant chances, that's all." The person said simply.

"...You said one thing right; I'm not ready too die."

"Then you'll take my offer?"

Grimmjow smirked.

"Not like I got anything better to do."


	2. The Boy With The Glasses

**Hi. **

**For those of you who are reading this and wondering why I haven't uploaded anything it's simple- lack of reviews. **

**Reviews are honestly the only way I can keep up with my stories and so when you didn't, I just left him. (Yes, this story is a guy.)**

**So yeah. Reviews make me happy; and I apreciate them alot. Toodles! :D**

* * *

><p>Silence.<p>

Kyo hated the word and everything that came with it. Silence was an unbearable thing to him; because in his world, silence was the loudest thing of all.

When he was little, he had been locked away into a house by his Mother, the only noise being his delicate breething or her hands scrubbing the dishes as she washed them.

At his mother's funeral, the silence had been like toxic waste streeming into his ears. There was noise, yes; but not like that. Not like how you could hear it.

Words were dancing around him, he remembered.

_"He probably pushed her,"_

_"Poor woman; forced to live with that thing."_

_"No wonder she killed herself- having the Cat as her only offspring."_

_"I feel so sorry for her. Being around the Cat does that to people."_

_"Disgusting! They actually let _it_ in here and contaminate this sacred time?"_

_"Awfull! That creture shouldn't exist!"_

_"it's not even human!"_

_"Completely useless!"_

_"Bum!"_

_"Trash!"_

_"Get it out of here!"_

Those words were _about_ him, but not _for_ him. They were never for him. He was the _Cat_, after all...

That night, he'd wanted to die. It would have been easy; he told himself. Just lump off the ledge and join your mother- where it's safe and no one would ever speak to him without looking him in the eyes...!

And that's when he met the boy. A little raven-haired boy with rimmed glasses wearing nothing but white; which seemed to all be tied off by his steal blue eyes.

"_If you die,"_ The little boy had said "_No one will ever look at you again; or give you a secant thought. You'll be all alone. And you will live in silence untill you eventually go insane."_

Kyo had listened to him, and because of just that he gained hope that somewhere out their, the human race wasn't so bad. Tohru and Kazuma had proven that, and he knew that those two were nothing but good incarnate- right down to their cores.

"Kyo, I'm going shopping with Yuki!" The brunnet loan female called "We'll be right back, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Kyo yelled over his shoulder. He was two minutes away from finishing his homework and then he'd go train. He couldn't afford distractions at this point.

After writing in the last letters he closed the book, slipped on his shoes and went outside.

"Kyo! What are you doing out here? I thought you were still busy with homework." Shigure said, appearing out of nowhere. There was no doubt in Kyo's mind that the dog was skipping off on his work again.

"Going training," He opened the door, before saying "I'll be back in an hour."

Shigure poked his head out and nodded, indicating he could-that Shigure _knew_, he was NOT Kyo's superior- leave, and Kyo did just that.


	3. A Favor And A Cliff Hanger

"So who's the kid?" Grimmjow asked, frowning. He and his... Partner? Leader? Were following a shaggy orange-haired boy with red eyes and an immense power coming from him.

When he first saw the kid he had to stop himself from choking on the rawness of his power. It felt alot like the first time he'd met Aizen; power beyond comprehension. However; there was a difference. Aizen was in complete control. This boy; however, probably -deffinatly- hadn't even heard of Spirit Pressure.

"Why are we following him, anways? Other than the unbelievable amount of Reaitsu he's packing, of course." For some reason, Grimmjow just _knew_ the other was frowning.

"His name is Kyo Souma. His mother died when he was a child and his father abandoned him. He was taken in by a Martial Arts Teacher; who recently left for the mountains to train. He's been living with his cousins for almost five months now..." The other paused, letting the information sink in. "I've been following him since he was nine years old. I've managed to supress his Reaitsu by forcing it into his bracelet, but as you see it didn't last; and now his pent up powers are coming out."

"_'Cage up the beast and it'll get angry'_; a man once told me." The cloaked male twisted the sickle between his fingers; going over the ends with unnatural caring.

"That Sickle," Grimmjow finally asked, "Is it your Zanpactou?"

The cloaked male paused.

"No." He put it on his back. "It was a gift from a friend,"

Grimmjow blinked. He could tell that was a soft spot for the other. And, obviously; not very good conversation material- judging by the way he was crushing the metal with his fingertips.

"So what's my job?" Grimmjow asked, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Let him down easy. Something bad is going to happen to him in two years and he needs to know he has options." The other said, connecting the sickle to it's strap once more.

"So we're forcing him in?" Grimmjow scowled.

"No. Like you, it's his choice." The hooded figure didn't even bother looking at him.

"I was dying." The Espada- or, ex-Espada?- said flatly.

"And what he'll go through will be worse than dying if we don't help him." Snorted the shorter, standing up on the branch and shunpoing off; Grimmjow following soon after.

* * *

><p>Kyo looked at the two men in front of him. One was short, cloaked in black but he could see just enough skin to know he was unnaturaly pale, with a sickle strapped to his back.<p>

The other was tall, with blue hair and matching eyes, that seemed rounded off by his tan skin. He seemed to bore into Kyo, as if searching for something.

"Sohma Kyo," Said the shorter, stepping up. He seemed like the kind of man who would take control of a situation, no matter how dire or paraliss.

"That's my name," Kyo said, uneasy. He was a cat, with natural fight or flight instincts. Those instincts told him that these people were powerfull, but he couldn't say if he trusted them or not. "now what do you want?"

"We are here to ask you a favor, Sohma-san." The cloaked male said shortly.

"Well," Kyo snapped after a brief pause, "I don't have all day."

"How would you like it if you would never have to be locked up?"


	4. The Unmasking

Kyo faultered.

Never be locked up? It was a dream, far away from happening. That's why he trained. So he could beat Yuki, so he could win with honor.

Because honor was all he had.

_Flashback-_

_Kyo looked at the other children in the yard as he stood, shying behind a tree. _

_A little girl, a distant cousin of his, was sitting in the shades of the monkee bars with her friends. _

_Two boys sat next to eachother, playing a game called Go. He'd never played it, his mother had only given him single-person games, and Kazuma had never bought him a board game before. _

_Frowning, he left the platground and entered the forest. _

_ten minutes in, a shrill cry came from his left. Whipping his head around, Kyo saw two of Kazuma's other students, Yuri and Goro, punch one of the other girls -Chikako, if he remembered correctly- in the back of the head. _

_Yuri, despite his female name, was a small boy about ten years old, three years older than Kyo. Goro was a year younger then Yuri, but apperently just as cruel. He was also fat, and the main reason he was in Kazuma's classes was to lose wait._

_Minoru, he realised, was one of Kazuma's younger students. He had managed to beat Yuri by a pure fluke in one of their matches against eachother. Yuri had gotten too rough, and had playe dirty, making Kazuma forced to kick Yuri out for a month's time. _

_It had been emberrising, because Minoru happened to only be five, so very well only half his age. The idea had been so humiliating, especially as the other students laughed. _

_Minoru cried out as Yuri punched him in the stomach repeatedly. _

_"How'd ya like that, huh? Kazuma-Sensie's not around to protect you anymore!" Yuri taunted, raising his leg to kick him. _

_"Hey, you!" Kyo shouted, showing himself. Yuri stopped what he was doing and turned to Kyo. Goro, who was just standing and watching, looked shocked. _

_"Leave us alone, Cat! This doesn't concern you!" Yuri snarled as Minoru whimpered from the ground. _

_Kyo snarled. He hated it when people called him that. He hated it _so much_. He was the cat, yes, but that didn't make it his _name_. _

_He lunged at Yuri, punching him square in the jaw. Yuri cried out in pain, shocked. Goro tried to tackle him when he was distracted, but Kyo kicked the large boy in the shin. _

_Thinking the two would leave him alone, he went over to the bleeding Minoru. The younger boy's eyes widened as a shadow was cast over them. Kyo found himself hit in the back forcefully, making him spit out blood as he fell next to the younger male. _

_"Pathetic cat!" His attacker, who was apperantly Goro, snarled. Hitting him in the ribs with a pipe that seemed to come from nowhere, Kyo coughed out more blood._

_"Freak! I can't believe Yuri was afraid of you! You're nothing but a weak Monster!" Goro yelled, hitting him again and again. _

_Monster. He hated it, _hated it _when people called him that. Kyo was no more a monster than this boy was humane. (Being Humane is having or showing compassion or benevolence and Inflicting the minimum of pain, for all you illiterate people out there.)_

_Kyo let out a heated, animalistic snarl._

_He hadn't realised it at the moment, but he hadn't snarled. He'd let out a full-out _War-Cry_. _

_Raising up on stiff legs, Kyo sucker-punched his attacker. Goro cried out in pain, dropping the item in his hand; that Kyo now realised he used to him him with. _

_It was pretty much Kyo against Goro. Yuri was crying over his bleeding nose, and Minoru was to terrified to step in. _

_Dropping to the ground, Kyo used a lower round-house kick, making Goro to fall down as he jumped back up. Goro hissed, letting the rusted pipe fall to the side. _

_Grappling his ankle, Goro yanked Kyo in an attempt to make him stumble to the ground, and Kyo did a back-flip, causing Goro to crash onto his back. Goro kept his hand on the cat's leg, however, causing the other to fall down on top of him. Fisting his hand, Goro punched Kyo's left eye. _

_Kyo forced his hands and feet over Goro's, bashing the older fat boy's head with his own. _

_Getting up, Kyo looked at the sea-sick boy, spitting out more blood to the side. _

_"If I'm the monster, what are you?" He hissed. _

_End Flashback_-

Kyo stared long and hard at the two men in front of him.

"What do you want in return?" He asked. "And why would you help me?"

"We want you to join us." The cloaked boy said bluntly. "And as for why? Simple. We've both done things. Horrible things. So we're looking for redemption. But you haven't."

"That's not an answer!" Kyo snarled.

"Yes, it is." The cloaked one said coldly. "You are about to be locked up for the rest of your life. And for what? Existing? You've done nothing wrong. We simply offer you redemption. They offer you a cage, in the most literal of senses."

Kyo blanched. He stared, long and hard into non-existing, non-_lying, _eyes.

"Who are you?" He finally asked.

"This," The shorter one said, pointing vaguily to his partner, "is Grimmjow Jeagerjaques. and I,"

"Am Toshiro Hitsugaya."

** EXPLANATION!**

**So who thought Toshiro wasn't going to be the masked guy? You? Well, the sickle thing was supposed to confuse you. **

**Toshiro was supposed to be Cloaked Guy from the start, however; he needed a valid reasoning as to why he was not at Soul Society. One You will soon learn! **


End file.
